Racers Track Club boss, Glen Mills (centre), chats with St Andrew Rotary Club president, Charles Ross, and director Eugene Ffolkes during a luncheon held in his honour at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston yesterday. - Gladstone Taylor .

Head of Racers Track Club, Glen Mills, insists no short cuts will be taken as it relates to the conditioning of rising young sprint star Yohan Blake.

The sprinter, a former St Jago High standout, set tongues wagging with a sensational 9.80 clocking, albeit in a wind-aided time, to take the men's 100 metres at the Jamaica International Invitational meet two weeks ago at the National Stadium.

But, Blake, regarded by many as a potential heir to top local athletes like former world record holder Asafa Powell and current double world record holder, Usain Bolt, has been creating waves at the senior level for the past few seasons. Add the above to his impressive achievements at the junior level, the national junior record holder and tied with Nigeria's Seun Ogunkoya as the youngest sprinter to have broken the 10- second barrier, it seems Racers may well have another star in their midst.

developing sprinter

"Yohan is a developing sprinter. He showed as a junior that he was someone of class and ability. Based on our philosophy we are very patient and will take time to develop our athletes," Mills told journalists at a luncheon put on in his honour by the Rotary Club of St Andrew, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston yesterday.

In fact, Blake's personal best of 9.89 seconds over 100m, clocked in August of last year, makes him the fourth-fastest Jamaican of all time, while his sensational 19.78 for 200 metres, posted a month earlier, made him the second-fastest Jamaican of all time, over that distance, ahead of Donald Quarrie (19.86) and only behind teammate Bolt (19.19, 19.30, 19.56). Internationally, only 13 athletes have gone faster but Mills insists the 21-year-old still has a way to go.

"It takes some time before we get them where we want them to be. We are not cutting any corners. We just want him to stay healthy," Mills said.